1138 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 15 



entrance from the lower part, or vestibule, up 

 into the hive proper. These were used two sea- 

 sons, both winter and summer, with ^ond sur- 

 cess; but as we were then transferring all our 

 bees from chaff hives, they were not us^d any 

 ]<inger. I am. sure it is a very good idea, espe- 

 cally for chaff hives and outdoor wintering, 

 iiemus, Mich. E. D. Town send. 



SHINGLFS ON TOP OF ORDINARY COVER. 



On page 551, May 1, Doolittle says that single- 

 walled hives in the sun need a shade-board. I 

 agree with him; but the shade-board I use is a 

 shingled roof. If one uses them one summer 

 and winter, he will never do withi^ut them In 

 the first place I nail a 3-inch board (in top of my 

 cover in the center, then I nail another piece 1^ 

 inches wide, on each side of the center board, 

 about half way between the center and outside. 

 Before I shingle I nail a board across the end, 

 the same slant as the roof, to keep the snow and 

 the storms from blowing in. After the coxer is 

 about finished 1 nail a board on top of the roof, 

 one on each side, letting it come down low 

 enough to cover up the shingle-nails. 



This cover never blows off, alvvays keeps the 

 hive dry, cool in the hot sun, and warm in win- 



ter. The shingles should project 1/^ i >ches, and 

 2 inches over the sides. 



Drygoods-boxes at 5 cts. each fu'ni-h enough 

 half-inch boards to finish eight or ten hi^es. 



Albion, Pa. JoH\ W. KiooiR. 



[The shingle roof here shown would be very 

 good; but we may here point out that our aitist 

 got too many shingles for the size oi the hi e- 

 cover, which, on top of an eight-frame hi\e, is 20 

 Xl3%. i his would call lor only one row of 

 shingles on each side, the shingles, of course, to 

 overlap and break joints. 



It would be our opinion that this would be a 

 very expensive roof unless shingles are clieapt^r 

 than in most localities. Material th<t one can 

 get out of a dryuoods-box cover, with cheap roof- 

 ing-piper, would give just as good lesults, and be 

 almost as durable. — Ed.] 



HOW TO REMOVE SECTIONS FROM SHIPPING-CASES; 

 A SUGGESTION TO RETAILERS. 



The proper way to lake sections or combs of 

 honey out of cases is to remove part of the back 

 side ot the cover and all of the back side of the 

 case, and tip off the sections from the back side, 



leaving the front or glass side intact, and making 

 a g<iod show. In this way you don't have to 

 pull the sections any, which, if pull d, are often 

 bioken and the honey lost, especially if the bot- 

 tom of the section has the least drainage or is at 

 all stui k to the bottom of the case. By leaving 

 the front or glass side intact it sliows up well un- 

 til the last row is sold, while if the sections are 

 pulled or lifted out of the front or center, many 

 sections are broken, and the case of honey looks 

 ragged and unsightly. I have seen careless gro- 

 cery boys nearly ruin a case of honey by pulling 

 sections promiscuously from cases, tearing off sev- 

 eral tops ot sections before releasing one. This 

 sui?gestion, placed m every case of honey, would 

 instruct grocers and retail dealers to tht-ir profit, 

 to the better satisfaction in dealing in honey. 



There should always be a glass front to every 

 case of honey, for tw'o reasons: First, to show 

 freight-handlers that it is glas';, and fragile; sec- 

 ond, to show the honi^y in the grocery, and yet 

 protect it from dust and vermin. 



Albany, N. Y. H. R. Wright. 



TWO QUESTIONS. 



1. In the December issue, page 1586, Mr. J. E. 

 Hand says, "Until time to put on supers, when 

 she is promptly killed." Does this mean that 

 the )Oung queen will naturally kill the old 

 queen, or that the apiarist will kill the old queen.? 



2. On page 1582 Mr. J. E Chambers speaks 

 of removing the board, so that "the colony, now 

 grown very powerful, is all together," Does this 

 mean to remove the board without any excluder 

 of any kind between two queens to separate them 

 or not.? S. D. Garabedian. 



Defender, Cal., June 13. 



[1. In this case Mr. Hand evidently means 

 that the apiarist should kill the old queen. If 

 the queens were lett, and if they fou>,ht, it might 

 not always be the old queen that would be killed. 



2. We beliive that Mr. Chambers does not 

 leave even an excluder to keep the two queens 

 apart He explained, in a part of his article not 

 published, that when he desires to save both 

 queens he divides the colony later, putting a part 

 of the bees and one que< n on a new stand. — Ed.] 



^YRUP THAT CRYSTALLIZES SL<1WLY. 



If labels are put on with thick syrup they will 

 not come off from glass, tin, or other smooth 

 surfaces We often use it to put labels ou oint- 

 ment-boxes in the drugstore. 



I have often wondeied why I do not see men- 

 tion made of the way druggists make syrup by 

 peicolation. They fill a tunnel, can, or barrel 

 nearly full of sugar, then p >ur water on it, and 

 the fim st kind of s\rup runs off, which is slow 

 to crystallize at the temperature at which it is 

 made, and, if thinned a little with water, it will 

 stay fluid indefinitely. A. F. Bonney. 



Buck Grove, Iowa, March 24. 



[Some years ago there was considerable said 

 about syrup made by the percolating procf ss. and 

 many experiments were made; but it was finally 

 deiided that syrup made by mixing sugar and 

 water cold, in equal proportions, and stirring 

 well, was just as good as that made by the perco- 

 lating process. — Ed.] 



